Are you the kind of people who wear perfumes at every time of the day, seven days a week? Honestly, I’m not that into wearing perfume because oddly enough, spraying those highly expensive liquid over my body would inadvertently gives me headache after some time. Would you voluntarily give yourself a headache? NO, thank you. That explains my modest acquisitions of perfumes over the years.

It’s not because of the brand. It’s not because of the fragrance either (or maybe it is?). Perhaps it’s because of my olfactory nerves can’t really stand those complexly concocted potions for a prolonged period of time.

So can you imagine what a nightmare it’ll be to me, when trapped in a room full with women, say at a seminar or a meeting, with each female wearing their own favorite scents? What’s so strange nowadays is that even men aren’t far behind their female counterparts when it comes to splashing their bodies with those so-called male after-shave cologne or even perfumes made for men. To me, it’s a turn-off rather than a turn-on.

I’m fine with people wearing perfumes if they are worn moderately but unfortunately, ‘moderate’ is very subjective. Sometimes the scent was so overpowering that it was faint-inducing.

The other day, while walking on my way to work, I was waiting at the traffic for the pedestrian red light to turn green. At the same time, a tram passed by and a stream of passengers alighted from the tram and proceeded briskly towards the traffic light where I was waiting.

There I was, surrounded by smartly dressed men and women, waiting for the green light, all the while fighting the urge to breathe. Starting my working day with a headache is the last thing I want.